Now with a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) playoff win under its belt, the Stony Brook women’s volleyball team will look to break into the upper echelon of the conference.
In their second year in the league last season, the Seawolves finished with a 17-14 overall and 11-7 CAA record. Stony Brook clinched the fourth seed in the 2023 CAA Championship, and after defeating Charleston in the First Round, it had its year ended by Towson. Although they did not earn hardware last season, the Seawolves improved significantly from 2022, when they went 10-16 overall and 5-11 in conference play.
“We’ve gotten to a point where we understand the CAA and we know what it takes to win it,” head coach Kristin Belzung said in an interview with The Statesman.
Despite retaining most of its 2023 core, Stony Brook was picked to slightly fall in the standings by coaches around the league. In the 2024 CAA volleyball preseason poll, the Seawolves were tabbed to finish fifth in the table this year.
Outside hitters Leoni Kunz and Kali Moore alongside setter Torri Henry are the team’s most notable returners. The trio headlined a potent Stony Brook side on offense last season. It ranked within the CAA’s top four in points per set (16.55), kills per set (12.89) and assists per set (12.17). However, it dropped to sixth in hitting percentage (.214).
“If you look at the best teams in the country, they’re scoring the most points,” Belzung said. That’s the name of the game. If you can score side-out, you win volleyball games.”
Kunz — a 2023 All-CAA Second Team selectee — posted a career-high 2.91 kills per set last year. She was also picked to the 2024 All-CAA Preseason Team. Conversely, Moore followed up a CAA Rookie of the Year campaign in 2022 by cracking the conference’s top 10 in points per set (3.82), kills per set (3.25) and aces per set (0.38).
“As a team, I just want to continue building on the off-court connection we have,” Moore said. “In the spring, we worked really hard to stay close and get very comfortable with each other. On the court, I want us to do the same thing. Work as a team, work as a unit. I want to make sure that I’m more of a leader on the court and off the court.”
Henry, the team’s anchor, will look to build off of a stellar 2023 — when she won the CAA Setter of the Year award — and lead the team to glory. A 2023 All-CAA First Team and All-CAA Preseason Team honoree, Henry led the league with 10.72 assists per set and ranked fourth in the CAA with 0.44 aces per set last season.
“We have pretty high expectations for ourselves this season,” Henry said. “We want to do our best to make it as far as we can and come back with a championship. That’s our ultimate goal.”
Middle blockers Abby Campbell and Ayanna Pierre Louis are also expected to play a significant role in the team’s success. The former led the Seawolves in hitting percentage (.321) last year and contributed 2.74 points and 2.10 kills per set. Louis posted a .285 hitting percentage to go with 1.61 points and 1.20 kills per set.
The aforementioned five players have a combined 15 seasons of collegiate experience, making Stony Brook as a whole one of the most experienced rosters in the CAA.
“Experience is always a good thing,” Belzung said. “The challenge just changes. It increases competition. We’ve got talented players across the board in our program and that increased competition is a really good thing, but it also changes the emphasis to making sure that everyone’s on the same page for what our ultimate team goal is.”
For all their offensive firepower, the Seawolves lacked the strength on defense to match it. Although Stony Brook ranked second in the conference in digs per set (15.88), it placed sixth in opponent kills per set (12.05) and opponent service aces per set (1.44), as well as 11th in blocks per set (1.66).
“We would like to improve on the defensive side of the game,” Belzung said. “I’m hoping that we can just add to the defensive part and continue to build on the offensive side of the game.”
While the team struggled defensively as a whole at times last year, libero Julia Patsos was consistently solid throughout. She finished second in the league in digs per set with 4.28.
In keeping opponent attacks off the floor, Patsos will be aided by first-year libero Zayda Fuertez and defensive specialist Madison Cigna. In limited playing time last season, Cigna accumulated 79 digs in 41 sets played.
On the offensive side, rookie outside hitter Quinn Anderson will look to fill some of the void left by the departures of pin hitter Ava Jackson and outside hitter Abby Stanwood. In her first collegiate year, Jackson was an integral piece of the Seawolves’ attack, as she registered 2.59 points per set and 2.21 kills per set. Conversely, Stanwood posted 2.60 points per set and 2.45 kills per set.
“It’s a new puzzle every year,” Belzung said. “Players leave and we get new players in. Every team is a different team from year to year. You just try to fix that puzzle together the best you possibly can.”
In what are the final seasons for Kunz, Henry, Campbell and Patsos, Stony Brook will look to give its veterans an adequate sending off. The Seawolves kick off their season on Friday, Aug. 30 when they take on Delaware State in the James Madison University Invitational.
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